Push-button activated sniffing cap
A sniffing cap for an aroma bottle providing for regulated access to an aroma within the aroma bottle may include a cap body having a top cap portion, a bottom cap portion, and a push button positioned between the top cap portion and the bottom cap portion. The top cap portion may include at least one nozzle opening designed to be placed against a user's nostril and air vents extending through a side surface of the top cap portion. The bottom cap portion may be attached to the top cap portion and may include a dual section airflow tube extending therefrom. The push button may include a push button body configured to engage and disengage with channels in the cap body, thus regulating flow of air into and scent out of the aroma bottle.
This application claims priority to provisional patent application U.S. Ser. No. 63/340,858 filed on May 11, 2022, the entire contents of which is herein incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUNDThe embodiments described herein relate generally to aroma containers and, more particularly, to a push-button activated, spill-proof sniffing cap for aroma bottles.
Repeatedly accessing the contents of an aroma bottle conventionally requires removing and replacing the cap onto the bottle. This process generally requires two hands and leaves room for spillage to occur. While other venting caps also exist, these generally allow for sniffing, but do not prevent evaporation or spillage, as the vents or holes in the existing caps remain open.
Therefore, what is needed is a sniffing cap for an aroma bottle, wherein the sniffing cap is suitable for single-hand use and allows a user to regulate access to the contents, thus preventing unnecessary evaporation and accidental spillage.
SUMMARYSome embodiments of the present disclosure include a sniffing cap for an aroma bottle providing for regulated access to an aroma within the aroma bottle may include a cap body having a top cap portion, a bottom cap portion, and a push button positioned between the top cap portion and the bottom cap portion. The top cap portion may include at least one nozzle opening designed to be placed against a user's nostril and air vents extending through a side surface of the top cap portion. The bottom cap portion may be attached to the top cap portion and may include a dual section airflow tube extending therefrom. The push button may include a push button body configured to engage and disengage with channels in the cap body, thus regulating flow of air into and scent out of the aroma bottle.
The detailed description of some embodiments of the invention is made below with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein like numerals represent corresponding parts of the figures.
In the following detailed description of the invention, numerous details, examples, and embodiments of the invention are described. However, it will be clear and apparent to one skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the embodiments set forth and that the invention can be adapted for any of several applications.
The device of the present disclosure may be used as a sniffing cap for an aroma bottle and may comprise the following elements. This list of possible constituent elements is intended to be exemplary only, and it is not intended that this list be used to limit the device of the present application to just these elements. Persons having ordinary skill in the art relevant to the present disclosure may understand there to be equivalent elements that may be substituted within the present disclosure without changing the essential function or operation of the device.
The various elements of the present disclosure may be related in the following exemplary fashion. It is not intended to limit the scope or nature of the relationships between the various elements, and the following examples are presented as illustrative examples only.
By way of example, and referring to
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As shown in the Figures, the push button 20 may comprise a button head designed to extend outward from the top portion 12A and a button body extending from the button head, the button body designed to be positioned within the bottom interior region of the top portion 12A. As shown in, for example,
As shown in
The channel 28 extending through each of the valve protrusions may be sized to accommodate insertion of a respective slotted peg 26 with O-ring 32 therein. Thus, in embodiments, when the top portion 12A is attached to the bottom portion 12B, the push button 20 may be sandwiched between the top portions 12A and the bottom portion 12B of the cap body 12, wherein the stem of the push button 20 may be positioned between the pair of valve protrusions and movement of the push button 20 causes the slotted pegs 26 to engage and disengage with the channels 28 in the valve protrusions. As such, when the slotted pegs 26 with the attached O-rings 32 are inserted into channel 28, a valve that controls airflow into and out of the device may be created.
The sniffing cap device 10 of the present disclosure may further comprise a pair of springs 30, wherein each spring 30 is positioned between an edge of the valve protrusion on the closed end of the bottom portion 12B and the push button head. More specifically, as shown in
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A partition within an interior of the top portion 42 may extend from an interior wall within the top interior region to a central area of the middle interior region, dividing the interior of the top portion 42, as shown in
The top portion 42 of the cap body 40 may further comprise a push button opening extending therethrough, wherein the push button opening is positioned in the bottom region of the top portion 42 and, thus, vertically below the separation wall 46, when installed. The push button opening may be sized to accommodate a push button 60 sliding within the push button opening. Push button 60 may have a similar structure to push button 20 described above. Push button 60 may comprise a button head designed to extend outward from the top portion 42 and a button body extending from the button head, the button body designed to be positioned within the bottom interior region of the top portion 42. As shown in, for example,
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The dual section airflow tube 62 may have a structure similar to (or even identical to) the dual section airflow tube 22 described above. Specifically, the dual section airflow tube 62 may comprise a tube with a divider extending the length thereof, thus dividing the tube 62 into two airflow portions.
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In any embodiment of the cap body, the cap body may further comprise a necklace loop 58 extending from a surface of the cap body, such as from the bottom portion 44, as shown in
To use the device of the present disclosure, a user may attach the sniffing cap device to the desired aroma bottle 24 with an aroma liquid 24A therein. The user may place his or her nostril(s) over the nozzle opening(s) in the top portion of the cap body. The user may then press the push button, opening airflow throughout the device. When the user inhales, air 34A may flow into the air vents, down through a first section of the dual section airflow tube and mix with the liquid aroma 24A in the bottle 24. The combine scent may then flow up through the second section of the dual section airflow tube, into the interior of the top portion and out through the nozzle opening(s) to the user's nostril(s). The user may then release the push button, causing the airflow to again be blocked. As such, the device of the present disclosure provides for regulated access to the aroma while simultaneously preventing or reducing the likelihood of unnecessary evaporation and accidental spillage.
The components of the device of the present disclosure may be made of any suitable materials, wherein the dimensions of the components may vary depending on, for example, the bottle to which it is being attached. Additionally, the positioning of the nozzle opening(s) may vary to accommodate easy sniffing from varying angles, such as while laying down. In some embodiments, the nozzle opening(s) may be modified for mouth inhalation. As shown in
The above-described embodiments of the invention are presented for purposes of illustration and not of limitation. While these embodiments of the invention have been described with reference to numerous specific details, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit of the invention. Thus, one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the invention is not to be limited by the foregoing illustrative details, but rather is to be defined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A sniffing cap for an aroma bottle providing for regulated access to an aroma within the aroma bottle, the sniffing cap comprising
- a cap body comprising: a top cap portion comprising at least one nozzle opening designed to be placed against a user's nostril and air vents extending through a side surface of the top cap portion, the nozzle opening and the air vents being separated by an internal partition; and a bottom cap portion attached to the top cap portion, the bottom cap portion designed to removably engage with the aroma bottle; and
- a push button positioned between the top cap portion and the bottom cap portion, the push button including a push button body configured to engage and disengage with channels in the cap body, the push button comprising: a button head designed to extend outward from the cap body; and a button body extending from the button head, the button body designed to be positioned within an interior region of the cap body, wherein the button body comprises: a stem extending from the button head, the stem comprising an upper edge with outer raised walls, defining a push button slot; a pair of tabs extending outward from a distal end of the stem; a first slotted peg extending outward from a first tab of the pair of tabs toward the button head; and a second slotted peg extending outward from a second tab of the pair of tabs toward the button head,
- wherein: the push button is designed to slide from a first configuration to a second configuration; the first configuration blocks airflow through the channels and, thus, the cap body; and the second configuration allows for airflow through the channels and, thus, the cap body.
2. The sniffing cap of claim 1, wherein the internal partition comprises a central lip extending from a bottom surface thereof; and the push button slot is sized to accommodate the central lip therein, such that the push button is slidably engaged with the internal partition.
3. The sniffing cap of claim 1, further comprising:
- a first O-ring encircling a shaft of the first slotted peg; and
- a second O-ring encircling a shaft of the second slotted peg.
4. The sniffing cap of claim 1, wherein:
- the at least one nozzle opening comprises a pair of nozzle openings; and
- the top cap portion comprises: a dome shaped outer wall with an open bottom; a pair of nozzle extensions protruding from a surface of the outer wall, wherein each nozzle extension includes a respective nozzle opening of the pair of nozzle openings extending therethrough.
5. The sniffing cap of claim 1, wherein the internal partition is a member selected from the group consisting of an integrated internal partition and a removably attached separation wall.
6. The sniffing cap of claim 1, further comprising a dual section airflow tube extending from the bottom cap portion.
7. The sniffing cap of claim 6, wherein the bottom portion comprises:
- a substantially cylindrical body with a first open end and a second closed end;
- internal threads positioned in the first open end, the internal threads configured to engage with threads on a neck of the aroma bottle;
- the dual section airflow tube concentrically positioned within the first open end and extending from an interior surface of the second closed end;
- a first opening and a second opening extending through the second closed end, the first opening aligning with a first half of the dual section airflow tube and the second opening aligning with a second half of the dual section airflow tube;
- a pair of valve protrusions extending upward from an exterior surface of the second closed end, each valve protrusion of the pair of valve protrusions positioned on a respective opening of the first opening and the second opening; and
- a first channel extending through a first valve protrusion of the pair of valve protrusions, and a second channel extending through a second valve protrusion of the pair of valve protrusions, such that the exterior of the second closed end is in fluid communication with the dual section airflow tube, wherein the first channel and the second channel are the channels in the cap body with which the push button is configured to engage and disengage.
8. The sniffing cap of claim 6, wherein the dual section airflow tube comprises a tube with at least one divider extending the length thereof, thus dividing the dual section airflow tube into at least two airflow portions.
9. A sniffing cap for an aroma bottle providing for regulated access to an aroma within the aroma bottle, the sniffing cap comprising
- a cap body comprising: a top cap portion comprising at least one nozzle opening designed to be placed against a user's nostril and air vents extending through a side surface of the top cap portion, the nozzle opening and the air vents being separated by an internal partition; and a bottom cap portion attached to the top cap portion, the bottom cap portion designed to removably engage with the aroma bottle;
- a push button positioned between the top cap portion and the bottom cap portion, the push button including a push button body configured to engage and disengage with channels in the cap body; and
- a dual section airflow tube extending from the bottom cap portion,
- wherein: the push button is designed to slide from a first configuration to a second configuration; the first configuration blocks airflow through the channels and, thus, the cap body; the second configuration allows for airflow through the channels and, thus, the cap body; the bottom portion comprises: a substantially cylindrical body with a first open end and a second closed end; internal threads positioned in the first open end, the internal threads configured to engage with threads on a neck of the aroma bottle; the dual section airflow tube concentrically positioned within the first open end and extending from an interior surface of the second closed end; a first opening and a second opening extending through the second closed end, the first opening aligning with a first half of the dual section airflow tube and the second opening aligning with a second half of the dual section airflow tube; a pair of valve protrusions extending upward from an exterior surface of the second closed end, each valve protrusion of the pair of valve protrusions positioned on a respective opening of the first opening and the second opening; and a first channel extending through a first valve protrusion of the pair of valve protrusions, and a second channel extending through a second valve protrusion of the pair of valve protrusions, such that the exterior of the second closed end is in fluid communication with the dual section airflow tube, wherein the first channel and the second channel are the channels in the cap body with which the push button is configured to engage and disengage.
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Type: Grant
Filed: May 11, 2023
Date of Patent: Apr 23, 2024
Patent Publication Number: 20230364295
Inventor: Milo Jack Deghionno (Encinitas, CA)
Primary Examiner: Jelitza M Perez
Application Number: 18/196,406